Yr A, 2008 St. Peter’s Episcopal, Tulsa, OK
The Rev. Robert D. Taliaferro
Gospel: Matthew’s Gospel of the Transfiguration
Jesus was transfigured before them
There appeared to them Moses and Elijah
A bright cloud appeared and a voice:
“This is my Son, the Beloved: with him I am well pleased; listen to him.”
When the disciples heard this they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.
But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”
And they looked up and saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
A once in a lifetime event, opportunity, and encounter. Did they, the disciples, capitalize on it, did they understand? Yes, to a
degree. They were however somewhat undoubtedly confused and awestruck. Let us consider: How does the Transfiguration effect
them and how does it apply to us?
Carl Rahner said, “The life of Jesus should be and example and a warning to us. But to understand what the mysteries of Christ’s
life want to say to us, we musk know what they mean for Jesus himself. And so we inquire what place the transfiguration assumes in
the life of the savior.
“To understand this we need to consider that Jesus had a human heart susceptible to joy and sorrow, pain and consolation; a
heart that in a completely sinless, holy manner, but still really, experienced the changes wrought by all these storms of the soul as we
do. The Son of God assumed indeed a true human nature with body and soul, he became like to us in all things except sin. And, so
he could also be like us in that there was a place in his soul for the stirring of the mind, for the changes of joy and sadness, jubilation
and lamentation” (Rahner, The Great Church Year, 342).
Jesus’ life was a pilgrimage. You and I are on a pilgrimage too. Our lives are filled with many storms and joys, frustrations and
triumphs, faith and fear. If we recall the life of Jesus in the Gospels, we remember that Jesus was full of human emotions. Jesus
wept. Jesus laughed. Jesus looked upon others with great sadness and frustration. Jesus was filled with joy. Jesus got angry and
even shouted. Jesus was compassionate. He was also scorned, rejected and deceived. He loved, he served, he died for us…those
he loved.
Imagine if you will what was going on in the heart of Jesus as he labored up the mountain. He had been preaching in the region
that the kingdom of God had come, he had been teaching people how to live in order to enter the kingdom. He was accepted by
some. He was rejected by others. He worked hard and as much as he loved, in his heart and mind, surely there were feelings of
pain over the ingratitude, hardheartedness, and unbelief of his people. Surely there were thoughts of his coming passion, readiness
and resolve for the cross, but also present must have been the anxiety and sadness of the Mount of Olives. Jesus must have been
tired, frustrated, and possibly even angry. He had a human heart and human emotions.
Then in the midst of all these struggles and feelings, what does Jesus do? He prays. What happens? God answers the prayers of
his Son. God reveals his divinity, God responds. What do we do in the midst of our struggles and fear? We pray. God hears and
answers our prayers as we too are his beloved children.
God’s grace and Holy Spirit filled of Jesus’ body, mind and soul. The presence of God within Jesus transforms and strengthens
every fiber of his being. He is drawn into God’s light and unity. In the midst of the everyday struggles that had been mounting in
Jesus, he is affirmed, strengthened, filled with a firm resolve and understanding that he is God’s very beloved Son. He is transformed
and anointed.
“This then is the meaning of the transfiguration for Jesus himself: in the dark night of earthly hopelessness the light of God shines, a
human heart finds in God the power which turns a dying into a victory and into the redemption of the world” (Rahner, The Great
Church Year, 343).
As we approach the Lenten season, we too should seek to be transformed. We are entering a time when we have the
opportunity to examine our lives and relationships with God and each other. This honest examination may take us to places we do
not want to go…but need to go in order to understand ourselves so that we might become the holy people God intends us to be.
Many of us NEED TO CLEAN UP OUR ACT!
We have heard John the Baptist proclaim, “Repent; Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.” Well, what are YOU going to do? Most
of us have a difficult time being honest with ourselves let alone with those that we care for. Can we be honest with the One who
cares for us? What does it require for honesty with God…who knows our name, knows our need before we do, loves us and
forgives us in-spite of our sinfulness; knows the desires of our hearts? It takes courage, trust and faith. God is merciful and full of
compassion. God knows us better than we know ourselves. We too are the beloved of God.
What are the desires of your heart; what are you willing to admit; to what depths are you willing to explore your life and soul with
brutal honesty; what cross do you bear, what load are you willing to carry, what freedom do you desire with God’s help?
A friend shared a wonderful story with me about bearing our cross. You see, each of us has a cross to bear. But, there is always
the question of HOW we bear our cross.
The story goes: There were many people bearing crosses. Each cross was long, wide, heavy and burdensome. Bearing the cross
required toil, sweat, work and struggle. A lot of hard work and in some cases suffering.
One person, maybe it is representative of you, went on for a while and then stopped and asked if God could make the cross he was
bearing lighter because it was so heavy, so much work, so hard, more than he was willing to do. It was just too much work and
effort. This person began cutting off the excess weight of the cross they bore—he made it shorter, lighter. (God gave us, and this
person free will.) Then he carried his cross like the others. This person just whistled and suddenly began moving ahead of the
others. He was moving right along, going through the acts of carrying a burdensome cross just as the other did but he did not sweat
or work as hard or struggle or get tired. Life and walking the path was not easy for all the others,
Suddenly, he and the group came to a great chasm on the plateau—for us the chasm represents life’s greatest most troubling
challenges, the most faith shaking, give up events in our life. This obstacle, this chasm, has the power to stop us in our tracks. The
question for those carrying their cross was how to pass over the pit of death and despair.
Those who had struggled bearing their cross and had grown stronger in faith, knowledge, and trust said, “Let us lay our cross
across this great deep chasm and safely cross to the other side.” The cross they bore provided safety and a way past certain doom
and despair. The cross they bore sustained them and allowed them to cross.
The one who took short-cuts, did not struggle and toil, who whittled down and decided to rid himself of parts of his cross he didn’t
want to bear tried to lay his cross across the chasm. It didn’t even reach half-way across! He fell to his knees helplessly. He knelt
there and wept at what he had done, or had not done, as he watched the others cross safely to the other side, going on their way,
again carrying their crosses and bearing their load. The pilgrimage or journey still was not easy, but the cross provided opportunity,
safety and hope.
You may ask, “Why didn’t others help him?” You may say, “He made his choice…and came up short.”
You may decide, “I want a very light cross, or I want to bear my cross.”
The journey is yours. The rewards are your. The choice is yours. You decide.
God gives us freewill. God loves us in our sinfulness as his beloved children.
On our Lenten pilgrimage, we must ask ourselves at least these two questions:
What does God want of you?
What do you want of God?
My hope, my prayer for each of us this Lent is: May we enter this week and Lenten season with our eyes and hearts open to the
possibilities of being reconciled with God, ourselves, and each other. May we experience our own transfiguration so that we have
the strength and endurance and renewal to walk the path and bear our cross. May we become Christ-like and be filled with
compassion and mercy. Let us begin a process of being freed from the bondage of those things that separate us from God and each
other. May we come to understand that we are also the beloved children of God. And, most importantly, may we learn to walk in
love as Christ loved us. AMEN.
| EPIPHANY 2008 |